San Diego promises fireworks, music and dance for Labor Day weekend (05/05/02)

A Ukrainian Summer: where to go, what to do...

San Diego promises fireworks, music and dance for Labor Day weekend

by Bill W. Loznycky Jr.

SAN DIEGO - House of Ukraine Inc., located in Balboa Park, will sponsor its annual Ukrainian Festival during Labor Day weekend, Friday through Sunday, August 30, to September 1.

Festivities start on Friday at 5 p.m. with a welcome "vatra" (bonfire) and picnic on the bay at Mission Bay Park. A barbecue will begin at 5 p.m. and end at 6:30 p.m. At 10 p.m. there will be Ukrainian music and fireworks seen from across the bay at Seaworld's Aquatic Park.

The weekend continues on Saturday at 7 p.m. with a Ukrainian dance performance at the Casa del Prado Theater in Balboa Park, home of the world-famous San Diego Zoo. This year's performance features the Yevshan Ukrainian Folk Ballet Ensemble from Saskatoon, Saskatchewan.

The troupe's artistic director, Vitali Sorokotiaguine, studied at the Melitopil Cultural Institute, directed the Molodist Dance Ensemble in Zaporizhia and was a dancer/soloist with the Odesa Region Song and Dance Ensemble prior to his association with Saskatoon's Yevshan.

On Sunday, beginning at noon, Ukrainian ethnic food and refreshments will be available for purchase at the House of Pacific Relations International Cottages' Lawn Stage in Balboa Park. At 2 p.m., a short program of Ukrainian song and dance will begin on the lawn stage.

Festivities end on Sunday night with a dinner and zabava (dance) at 6 p.m. at the Red Lion Hanalei Hotel in Hotel Circle, with Ukrainian dance music by Trubka from Edmonton, Alberta.

This year's festival of fun and entertainment also has a serious purpose. Organizers have chosen UCARE Inc. (Ukrainian Children's Aid and Relief Effort Inc.) as the charity that will receive a portion of the festival's proceeds. UCARE's primary focus is children in Ukraine, especially those living in orphanages and "internaty" (dormitories). Their work aims not only to provide basic sustenance and better living circumstances for orphans today, but also to expand their options for a better future.

For more information on House of Ukraine's Ukrainian Festival 2002 located in San Diego, call/fax (619) 291-0661; e-mail sunnyukes@aol.com; or log on to http://communitylink.sdinsider.com/groups/houseofukraine.

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